


Rule of Three

by PinkGerberDaisies



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: F/M, First Time, Trying to navigate teenage relationships, awkward sexual encounters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-06-24 05:29:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15623601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkGerberDaisies/pseuds/PinkGerberDaisies
Summary: It begins, like so many teenage cliches, at a high school party.A spark of attraction, smothered by denial for so long, smolders, then ignites, then implodes when Scott and Tessa make the mutual decision to be each other's first time.





	1. once is an accident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A party. A consummation. An argument.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this came to me while I was watching the movie The First Time (which is great). I needed a little brain-break from Spectacular! so I typed this up. It's going to just be a short thing that's hopefully awkward and fun (and let's be honest, knowing me it will probably get fluffy... eventually). 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy it!

** once is an accident **

_Canton, Michigan_

_June 2006_

****

There are a lot of downsides to living on your own in a different country. The homesickness, the loneliness, the insane isolating pressure that is unique to dedicating your life to a demanding sport from a young age.

But there are good things too. The new opportunities, the sense of adventure, the drive of competition, and the freedom.

Admittedly, most of that freedom is used on nights like this – when a bunch of teenage skaters load up in their cars and drive around until they find a local high school party to crash. And now that the school year is ending, parties are plentiful. It's a good way to let off steam after a week of intense practice sessions at the rink.

Which is how Scott finds himself at a party with a bunch of seniors from various local schools. Him and Charlie and Meryl and Tessa – who he’s trying not to notice has dressed up more than usual tonight. She’s wearing a sparkly pink tank top that leaves a strip of skin visible above her jeans and darker lipstick than she normally wears, and not for the first time in his life Scott feels a mixture of desire and shame flood his system.

It’s a potent cocktail that he's been drinking with increasing frequency over the last two years. But he’s succeeding in mostly convincing himself that the problem lies in the fact that he’s an eighteen year old virgin (thank you, late puberty), not with Tessa herself, and it's something that he intends to remedy tonight.

He’s finally starting to look his age and girls have been noticing him more and more, and with a few wins under his belt he’s been finding it pretty easy to find someone to make out with at every party they go to – specifically, he’s been making out lately with Analise Griffin, the pretty senior from Salem High with black curls and dark skin that he’s been flirting with for a while, and who he hopes will want to sleep with him tonight.

He spots her across the room with some friends, drinking from a red solo cup like every teenage cliché, and hurries over to talk to her before she has too much to drink (he’s a virgin, not a jerk - consent is important) losing track of his friends in the process. He’s not worried though – Charlie and Meryl can take care of themselves and Tessa will probably find a book and quiet couch corner to curl up on until he’s ready to leave.  

"Hey, Analise.” He leans up against the mantel, striking what he hopes is a cool pose, and she turns to smile at him, tucking a strand of curls behind her ear and trying to ignore the way her friends are teasing and shoving at her.

“Hi, Scott.” She giggles and ducks her head in a way that pleasantly strokes his ego. She’s the same height as him (it doesn’t take much – but he’s growing!) and Scott props a foot up on the fire place to try and look a little older, taller, and overall more desirable.

They chat, he asks her about school and she asks him about skating, and it isn’t long before they’ve moved to the beanbag in the corner – her nestled in his lap in a way that has his teenage-hormone-addled brain firing on all cylinders – making out like two kids with all the inexperience and eagerness that youth brings.

“Do you wanna get outta here?” _She_ asks _him_ and this night is going better than he could have ever dreamed. His roommate is never home on weekends, which means he actually does have somewhere he can take her so that they don’t have to hook up in one of the bedrooms at this stranger’s house like kids do in TV shows and movies.

“Yeah. Can you drive though? My skating partner will need my keys to get home.”

She nods and stands up and Scott tells her he’ll just be a second – he just needs to find Tessa and then they can get out of there.

          

He doesn’t find her where he expects. There’s no sign of her on any of the couches upstairs or downstairs, she’s not dancing, he checks the bathrooms, but they’re all surprisingly empty. He doesn’t find her until he’s practically given up – assuming she’d gotten a ride with someone else (and couldn't she have at least _told_ him so that he doesn’t spiral into a panic?) – hearing her voice from behind one of the closed basement doors.

“Do you have… you know?” No, Scott doesn’t know, but it’s definitely Tessa’s voice asking the question inside the room.

“Yeah, baby, I got us covered.”

Oh.

Oh _hell_ no.

Scott shoves the door open with a bang, grateful that it wasn’t locked, surprised and a little sickened by the sight of Tessa scrambling to cover her bare chest with her shirt (and the little glimpse he got is going to haunt him forever) and Fedor. _Fucking_ Fedor. Who is standing up from the bed to yell at him.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Scottie?” He sneers. “Get out!”

"I’m here for Tess.” Scott stands his ground, not intimidated by the older, bigger guy who could almost definitely kick his ass. He’s scrappy, and he’s got older brothers who have taught him a thing or two. He could hold his own for at least a bit, he’s certain. Long enough for Tessa to get far, far away from the guy.

"Well, she’s fine. You can go.” Fedor waves his hand dismissively and sits back down on the bed by Tessa, who’s watching the whole display with wide eyes and cheeks pink from embarrassment. He tries to get her to look at him, but she’s studiously avoiding his gaze.

"Tessa?” Scott asks, trying pointedly to get her attention.

“Scott?” She repeats his name back to him, using sarcasm to hide her awkwardness.

“Tessa.” He states again, more forcefully.

“ _Scott_.” She finally looks at him, still embarrassed, but also looking a little angry. Although if anyone should be angry here, it's him. He’d just caught her in a compromising position with a guy who’s way too old for her! He’s supposed to be looking out for her here, and he can’t do that if she’s off making harebrained decisions as soon as his back is turned.

“Let’s go.” He gestures to the door, speaking to her like she's a misbehaved child (she'll give him hell for that later, he's sure) and he can see her mentally weighing her options. Her face scrunching up like it does when she’s trying to add up the scores for all their dances to see where they’ve placed at the end of a competition. Finally she huffs out a frustrated breath and turns around to put her shirt back on. Her freckled skin and the arch of her spine is too much and Scott has to look away – choosing to fix a glare at Fedor instead, who glares right back.

He waits until Tessa has shoved her way past him out the door before snapping, “Bye, Andreev.” Flipping the guy the bird as he follows after Tessa.

           

“Scott, are you ready to go?” Analise bounces where she stands at the top of the stairs, glancing back and forth between him and a sullen Tessa.

“Change of plans. I’m sorry Analise, but Tess isn’t feeling well and I’ve got to take her home.”

The other girl's face falls in disappointment, and Tessa looks at the two of them with that same calculating look from earlier. “Alright. Maybe next time, then.”

"Yeah, I hope so.” Scott smiles at her, equally disappointed. So much for losing his virginity tonight.

           

“You could still go with her, you know, and leave me here.” Tessa says as they walk out towards his car.

“Fat chance, kiddo. Get in.” He opens the door for her, ignoring the way she rolls her eyes, and closes it carefully before walking around to his side. 

He waits until she’s buckled her seatbelt before starting the engine, carefully checking all his mirrors before pulling out onto the street. Alone, Scott’s a pretty careless driver, but when Tessa’s in the car he triple checks everything – not willing to take any chances.

“I can’t believe you stopped me.” She’s slumped in her seat, arms folded over her chest tightly like a child, her feet propped up on the dashboard like she knows he hates.

“Of course I did! What do you think you were doing with _him_? The guy’s like forty!”

“He’s twenty-four.” Tessa argues, like that’s somehow better, “And it’s not like he’s a stranger! We’ve known him forever. And we were going to have sex, what do you think? I was mentally prepared and he had a condom and you ruined it.” She speaks so calmly, like she didn’t just set off a nuclear bomb inside his head. He nearly runs through a stop sign while trying to wrap his head around the very idea of Tessa and… of Tessa…

It had never occurred to him that Tessa might have had sex. He’d always assumed that he knew her so well, he’d be able to tell if something like that ever happened. She’s beautiful, of course he’s noticed (just because he refuses to acknowledge it doesn't mean he's blind), becomes more so with each passing year, but she’s always been so… introverted. Always preferred books and old movies to other people, and chocolate to any boys (except for him, he thinks proudly).

“Have you… and he… before?” Scott forces himself to ask, knuckles gripping the steering wheel like a vice. He knows it’s none of his business, but he has to ask. Has to know.

“No. Tonight was supposed to be our first time. _My_ first time, actually, so thanks for ruining that for me.”

Relief leaks out of him like air from a punctured balloon. “Then I’m glad I stopped you. You can’t lose your virginity to _Fedor_.” He snivels, his tone doing nothing to hide his contempt.

Scott’s always hated the guy. He’s a pretentious-douchy-mama’s boy-who preens around the rink like he’s God’s gift to women.

And he won’t stop calling him Scottie.

“And why not? Virginity is just a social construct anyway." She sits up straight, feet dropping to the floor, and Scott can sense a rant coming on. "It’s not some beautiful thing. Some _treasure_ that I have to guard until I find the One or the right person. There is no right person, there’s just some dude. Okay? It happens and it’s a little weird and kind of uncomfortable, but one day… One day it’s gonna be terrific. It’s gonna be fantastic, crazy, terrific sex and I’ve just got to get from here to there safely and on my own terms. And I know Fedor is a safe option and he knows what he’s doing. So would you please, please just tell me why I can’t just go and get it over with?” 

She holds her hands out in supplication, and Scott can't help but notice how her eyes shine like emeralds when she gets all fired up like this. 

“I think it’s finding the right person that makes it special. And that sure as shit is not Fedor.” Scott argues, growing heated himself. “It should be someone you at least _like_ , who likes you back and respects you. You deserve so much more than some quick fuck in the basement of a stranger's house, T.”

“Oh, you’ve just always hated Fedor.” Tessa bites back.

“Yeah, because the guy’s an asshole!”

“Well who would you prefer I lose my virginity to? You?”

She's kidding. He knows she's kidding. And he knows what his next line is supposed to be in this script. He should say no. Should act disgusted – like a brother would – but he can’t. And as the seconds tick by the opportunity to play it off and dismiss the idea is lost.

A heavy, awkward silence descends on the car.

Because he wants it to be him. He couldn’t admit it before, has a whole section of his mind marked _No Trespassing_ behind which the idea of anything non-platonic with Tessa gets put into a box and hidden away, but in the cover of darkness, sitting in the front of his car while it idles on the street by her apartment - he’s faced with the truth.

He likes Tessa. A lot. He respects her. And he really, _really_ , wants to have sex with her. And despite his best efforts over the years, that particular desire doesn't seem to be going away. Any maybe there's also a small, possessive part of him that selfishly wants to be her first. 

“Well,” he licks his lips nervously, “It makes sense, doesn’t it? We’ve done practically everything else together. Why shouldn’t we be each other’s firsts?”

Tessa looks at him like he’s lost his mind, and maybe he has. “But, Marina always says sex between partners is bad.”

“She says sexual _relationships_ between partners are bad. This would just be… a onetime thing. Two friends, doing each other a favor.”

“Just two friends helping each other out.” Tessa copies, sounding unsure but also like she’s agreeing with him, and hope starts to blossom inside his chest. Maybe she doesn’t think he’s crazy after-all.

“Exactly.” He nods, trying (and probably failing) not to sound too eager.

“Okay.” She finally says after a long deliberation, and Scott can’t believe his ears. She’s actually agreeing with him. Agreeing to have _sex_ with him. He’d thought for sure she’d tell him to fuck off (politely, of course, because she’s Tessa and he’s never ever heard her swear).

“Do you want to come in, then?” She asks, waving towards the building behind her. 

“What? Now?” He’s not sure what he thought would happen next, but it wasn't this. It wasn't  _now_. 

“Yeah. My roommate went to visit her boyfriend for the weekend, so we have the place to ourselves.”

She looks luminous in the moonlight, her green eyes shining with a quiet kind of hope, and Scott finds himself nodding. “Okay. Yeah, sure.”

 

It feels a little bit like coming to an unexpected fork in the road and veering left when you’d been planning to go right. He’s standing across the bedroom from Tessa, the space lit only by her lamp on the nightstand, staring awkwardly at her while she does the same – shuffling nervously from foot to foot.

“So… we should probably kiss, right?” Tessa asks tentatively.

This is weird. Scott’s never tried to attempt the act of kissing or sex like it's a step sequence – all methodical and in a specific order. Every time he’s been with a girl (the farthest he’d gotten so far was second base, but still, he’s had some experience) it’s all flowed naturally. The casual conversation, the simple first kisses that develop into something more.

This feels clinical and strange.

But still, it’s Tessa and he wants her. Has wanted her for about three years now, and some initial discomfort isn’t going to change that. “Yeah, we should.”

“I think we need to be closer, then.” She replies, squaring her shoulders and marching up to him – taking his face in her hands and pulling it down so that she can press her lips against his. It’s a real kiss. Nothing like the few barely-there kisses they’ve shared in competitions – phantom touches that Scott has never really counted.

But this? This counts. The line is crossed, the floodgates open, and Scott might as well give it one hundred percent. He sweeps her up into his arms and pours every ounce of desire he’s been carrying around all this time into kissing her senseless.

Her hands are everywhere – on the back of his neck, in his hair, gripping his shoulders. His own end up on her waist, moving higher to slip underneath her shirt, nearly reaching for her breasts, but never quite working up the nerve to go the final distance. He’s still not entirely convinced that she isn’t going to throw him off and yell and scream that this is a mistake.

He walks her backwards towards the wall, reaching down to grab her ass so that he can lift her onto the dresser. With the height difference eliminated, Scott’s free to move his mouth down her neck. He hasn't put much thought into it, but he thinks her neck might be one of his favorite parts of her body.

The air is filled with the sounds of their heavy breathing, their heated kisses, her little moans, the rattling of the furniture as they thrust lightly against each other, and suddenly it all becomes too much. Scott pulls away, bringing a hand up to caress her hair while he catches his breath.

“What are you thinking?” Tessa asks, quiet and breathless herself.

“I’m thinking… that you’re my best friend. I don’t want to do anything to screw that up.” Scott confesses, wanting to be honest with her. 

“Oh.” Tessa looks down, stumbling over her words as she attempts to agree with him. “Um, yeah, you’re right.”

“I am?” _No I’m not, say that this won’t change anything and we’ll be fine_ , he mentally pleads with her, dismayed when she pushes him away.

“Yeah, yeah totally right.” She hops off the dresser and walks across the room, turning around with a rush of words, “We don’t want to be cliché – like those teenagers who can’t control their hormones. We’re capable of making intelligent, rational decisions.”

 _We are? I’m not_. “Definitely.”

“I’m glad you agree.” She gives him a determined nod, folding her arms in a way that unfortunately pushes up her breasts in such a way that makes them impossible to ignore.

“Totally.” Scott’s not sure what he’s agreeing to, unless it’s that her breasts are magnificent and he’d very much like to touch them.

“Great.” Tessa says, but she sounds less sure and Scott looks up to find her staring at him with unguarded desire.

They stand there like that for a long moment, before he gives in. “Oh, fuck it.”

They practically run across the room at each other and Tessa launches herself into his arms – trusting him to catch her. He does. He always does.

Turning, he drops her on the bed without breaking their kiss, only separating for a moment while Tessa pulls his shirt off – reveling in the way her hands roam across his chest. He may be a late bloomer, but he’s strong and muscled in a way any eighteen year old would be jealous of, and it’s clear Tessa appreciates it.

She peppers kisses across his shoulders while he sucks a hickey into her neck (it’ll be a pain to try and explain to Marina, he knows, but he doesn’t care). Her hands work the buttons of his pants and he’s already straining in his jeans, stiff and aching to for her, when he realizes something important.

“Shit, Tess, I don’t have a condom.” The box he'd bought last month is back at his apartment, where he’d originally planned to end up tonight, and he’s not the kind of guy who carries a condom around in his wallet.

“That’s okay, my roommate has a bunch. I’ll go grab one.” She rolls out from under him and slips out of the bedroom with a happy smile, and Scott divests himself of his pants while he waits – debating whether or not he should keep his boxers on and ultimately deciding she might bolt if she comes back and isn’t expecting to see him naked.

“Here.” She comes running back in and jumps on the bed, handing over the little foil package, and Scott nearly drops it, his fingers are shaking so badly.

“Do you maybe want to get under the covers first?” He suggests, suddenly self-conscious, and Tessa nods quickly.

“Yeah, yeah that’s a good idea. Let’s do that.”

They hurry to get under the blankets, lying side by side, and Tessa shuffles around to remove her shorts and underwear while Scott maneuvers his boxers down his legs and and puts the condom on – struggling to do it without the help of his vision and with her just _watching_ him. The knowledge of her being naked from the waist down doesn't exactly help him maintain his calm. 

“Um… do you want me to… you know?” She gestures vaguely at his crotch.

“No, I’ve almost got it. Thank you for the offer.”

It takes a few more seconds, but he finally figures it out and rolls over on top of her, which she clearly wasn’t expecting given the _oomph_ sound she makes.

“Sorry!”

“No it’s fine, it’s fine.” She looks up at him, reaching to caress his ear, and Scott’s struck again by the fact that this is _Tessa_. His Tessa. Her brown hair spilling out over the pillows and her green eyes staring up at him, wide and nervous and full of anticipation.

“Do you want this?” He has to double-check. Can’t take this final step without being absolutely sure.

“Yeah, I want this.” She whispers back, and Scott nods – closing the gap to kiss her while he reaches between them and slowly pushes inside.

 

\-------

 

Well, fuck.

That’s all Scott can think as he sits at the foot of her bed, pants on but shirt still off, the sound of running water echoing from Tessa’s bathroom. _Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck_.

Eventually the water stops and Scott hurriedly puts on his shirt before Tessa comes back into the room and finds him there, muttering repeated expletives to himself like the bumbling idiot that he is.

She comes in wearing an overly large Blue Jays hoodie and sweatpants and sits down on the bed, as far away from him as she can.

 _Fuck_.

“At least the condom didn’t break.” Is the first thing that comes out of his mouth, and Scott can willingly say walking headfirst into traffic would be less painful than her silence.

“I think it can be… better. You know like, more fun, eventually.” Tessa attempts to sound optimistic, despite the fact that Scott can see her eyes are rimmed red.  _Shit, did she cry in there?_

“There’s really no other direction it could go.” He replies, defeated.

“Yeah. But it wasn’t your fault.” She says, not unkindly, and it somehow makes him feel worse.

“I didn’t think it was.” He mutters, staring at his hands. 

“It wasn’t. And it wasn’t my fault either." She states quietly, waiting for reassurance that he's too distracted to give her. "Why, do you think it’s my fault?”

Scott waits too long to answer and Tessa stands up quickly. “Oh.”

Shit. Apparently he's doomed to do everything wrong tonight. “No, hey, it’s nobody’s fault.” Scott stands up too, trying to remedy the situation. “I heard… sometimes people don’t quite fit together.” It's a crappy attempt to make her feel better, and if her look of offense is any indication, it doesn't work at all.

“You think that’s _us_?”

“I don’t know. But I don’t think that’s how it’s supposed to go. Even if you’ve never… it didn’t feel right. I mean, right? I felt… weird.”

“It didn’t feel good.” She agrees loudly, and Scott can sense her anger building. 

“I mean, maybe you didn’t feel turned on enough? I don’t know how that shit works, or what’s like, normal. I mean, with guys the equipment’s pretty self-explanatory, you know? But with girls I just had no idea it was so complicated. It’s like you practically need a freakin’ schematic.”

“Okay. Okay. You know what?" She holds her hands up defensively, "This happened really fast and we got carried away and we made a mistake and, look it’s not that big of a deal. It’s not the end of the world. It had to happen sooner or later, right? So we just, we got it over with. Now we know, and we can get back to what's important: skating.”

“Yeah, well, maybe you're right." He agrees bitterly, "I should probably go.”

"I think that would be good." Her voice is eerily calm, and a giant knot of worry ties itself inside Scott's stomach. He's pretty sure he's fucked up his entire life in the last fifteen minutes.  

“I guess… I’ll see you at practice.”

“Yeah." She turns away to look out the window, a clear sign that she wants him to go, and for one brief moment Scott considers walking over to her, pulling her into a tight embrace, and apologizing for being a useless idiot, but instead he turns and leaves. Walking out of her apartment with an uncomfortable sense of finality.

 

 


	2. twice is a coincidence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your comments on the first chapter! I'm still not sure what this is, just a little "what if" really, but it's fun to write!
> 
> You'll notice I've upped the rating. I think it will be obvious why. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

** twice is a coincidence **

****

Scott doesn't normally speak in hyperbole. For all that his emotions may be easy to read, he's generally honest about them and their intensity. But this past month has been the absolute worst, complete trainwreck, disaster, nightmare from hell, month of his life. For so many reasons.

One: Things between him and Tess are _awkward_. Excruciatingly awkward. They’d apologized briefly to each other the day after their fight, but had both been withdrawn and cold since then and its affecting their skating and Marina has been giving them hell for it.

Two: They’re trying to learn the steps for their tango for the new season and everywhere Scott puts his hands feels loaded and uncomfortable – making him want to pull away too soon, which means releasing Tessa out of lifts too early, or grabbing onto her too late so that their entries are wrong and unstable. He hasn’t dropped her, but they’re definitely wobbly in a way they haven’t been since Kitchener-Waterloo (or ever, really).

Three: Scott’s been trying really hard not to think of that night, but it’s been… well, hard. Literally. The tango isn’t helping matters there either. The way Tessa _looks_  at him (in character, of course)and moves her body… he’s had to ask to take a break more than a few times. It’s the worst when he’s in bed alone at night after practice, with nothing but his own willpower to distract him from lying there in the dark and _remembering_. And his willpower in that area has never been particularly strong.

Four: She’s dyed her hair red, and it’s so bright and vibrant and new that it draws his attention to her even when he’s trying not to look. He’s always thought he preferred brunettes (which has nothing to do with Tess. It _doesn’t_ ), but he’s pretty sure now that Tessa could shave her head and suddenly his type would be bald.

           

All of this has been eating him up inside, and he’d had to tell somebody so that he didn't walk out into traffic to escape it, so he’d told Charlie (just the basics, not the details) and Charlie had reassured him that it was normal to feel a little attached to, or infatuated with, the person who was your first, and that it would fade – although it might take a little longer than normal since he has to see the girl every day – but all Scott has to do is wait it out.

Which is how he’d ended up here. Determined to wait it out and in the meantime work on getting things back to normal.

 

He’d invited Tessa over to watch a movie while they’re both home in Ontario for the joint Canada Day/Fourth of July holiday weekend. She’s due to leave with her family for their cabin tomorrow, and he wants to spend some time with her away from the rink. Like when they were kids. Totally casual. It's step one of his so far only one step plan to be her friend again.

Sure, they’ll have the house to themselves, but it’s honestly entirely a coincidence that this parents have gone out for the evening. Scott is one hundred percent committed to getting over this awkwardness and making things right with his skating partner so that they can continue uninterrupted on their path to the Olympics. They've worked too hard to lose it all over something as trivial as bad sex.

So he lays out pillows on the floor in a vague attempt at a fort and puts in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and when Tessa arrives in a baggy Spice Girls tank top and denim shorts he greets her normally with a cheery, “Hey, kiddo!”

She smiles back and Scott thinks that yes, this will work. They're going to be fine.

          

Everything starts out fine, that is. Better than fine, in fact. They eat popcorn, sip their sodas, and enjoy getting lost in pirates and ghost stories and magnificent music (it’s too bad they can’t find a way to skate to it). And if Scott notices her long, lean legs stretched out in front of her, he tries really, really hard not to let her know it.

It all goes sideways when they get to the scene where Jack and Elizabeth are marooned on the island. Jack is drunkenly propositioning Elizabeth, _“But the company is infinitely better than last time and the scenery is definitely improved”_ and twirling his mustache and Scott’s chuckling and Tessa says, “So… I’ve been thinking about sex.”

“Jeez, Tess! Warn a guy first!” Scott wipes uselessly at his shirt where he’d spilled his root beer until Tessa hands him a wad of napkins. It’s no use, it's ruined now and he has no idea how he’s going to explain to his mom why he overturned almost an entire can of soda on a perfectly nice white t-shirt.

“Sorry.” She doesn’t sound sorry though, she sounds determined. “It’s just… I think it can be better. It has to be better.”

“Thanks.” He deadpans, not really wanting to rehash their argument. She’s pretty much already convinced him that he’s the worst lover in the world and he doesn’t need to hear it all again.

“Oh don’t be like that. You must think so too.” She protests, clearly annoyed. Scott figures this means their nice evening is officially ruined – as well as Pirates, which he’ll never be able to watch now without associating it with cripplingly awkward sex.

“Yeah? So what? You want to try again?” He asks mockingly, folding his arms over his sticky wet chest and glaring at the TV screen.

He can see her turn towards him out of the corner of his eye, moving up onto her knees. “Yes. I’ve been doing some research-“

“ _What!?_ ” Scott sits up straight and looks at her, fully expecting her to say April Fools (even though it's July) because surely that's the only explanation for what she just said.

“I looked up how to make it better. Now, granted, I saw some things I’ll never unsee. Did you know some people like to be spanked or tied up?" No, but he does now, thanks. "And there’s this whole blog written by a call girl in London that was _way_ TMI.” She continues, voice full of innocent curiosity, ignoring the way Scott is goggling at her like she’s sprouted antlers. “But I did find some things that I think could be useful.”

She reaches for her bag and pulls out a piece of paper. Or, rather, a few pieces of paper that she’s stapled together.

"You printed out instructions!?”

“Yes, of course.” She replies like he’s the one acting crazy right now.

He's desperately trying to connect the dots, but he's at a loss for how they got here. “I thought you said it was a mistake. That we shouldn't do it again.”

“I did, but then I realized this is purely educational. And you’ve always been my study-buddy. Why should this be any different? Think of it like we got a D on a biology test-“

“I’d give it at least a C.” Scott grumbles petulantly, trying to retain some minuscule sense of pride.

“Okay, a C then,” Tessa says patiently, “And we need to raise our grade. I’ve got the notes, let’s do a retake.”

“You’re serious?” He asks, even though he can see that she is. There’s a flash of something in her eyes – hope, insecurity, determination, nerves, (desire?) – but it’s gone before he can get a handle on it.

“Dead serious. How long before Alma and Joe get home?”

The movie runs on in the background, pirates and skeletons long forgotten. “Um… probably a couple more hours.”

“Perfect. Here or the bedroom? I think the bedroom would be a better choice for the best results.” She says it like she's solving a problem. Like this really is homework.

“Yeah, we probably don’t want to damage my mom’s throw pillows.” He jokes, resorting to his relied upon self-defense mechanism of humor to get him through this. 

She lets out a little laugh, and it helps ease some of Scott’s anxiety. “Smart. Okay, let’s go.”

“Do you have any condoms here?” She asks casually as they walk into his bedroom, which still looks exactly like it did when he was a kid. Hockey and baseball posters on the wall, pictures of them from early competitions, a few cheap medals hanging around, and his Leafs bedding. Not exactly the kind of room to induce romance.

“No, I didn’t think I needed to bring any home with me.” Scott admits, and honestly - who would think they'd need protection when staying at their parent's house? But Tessa just shrugs and lifts up her bag.

“That’s okay. I brought some with me.”

“Did you steal them from your roommate?”

“No, I bought them.”

He chokes in surprise. Had she _planned_ all this? Of course, she must have – with the studying and the notes and the argument that sounded a little rehearsed. Where did she even buy a condom? The idea of her walking into a drugstore and buying a box is so at odds with his image of Tessa that he just can’t picture it. He really hopes she didn’t buy them in Ilderton, or it’ll definitely make it through the grapevine back to his mom and then there will be some seriously uncomfortable questioning going on.

He can picture it now. "So, I hear Tessa Virtue, our little Tutu, was seen buying condoms. Care to explain, Scottie?" The thought makes him want to die. 

“Okay, step one.” Tessa begins, standing across from him and sounding like she’s about to give a lecture. “You’ll know you’re ready for sex when you’ve had a conversation about what sex means in the context of your relationship.” She reads aloud from her paper, then looks up at him, her green eyes fixed on his like he’s the subject of a science experiment. Which, he supposes, he kind of is. “We’re friends and partners. This is merely an educational experience – not part of our relationship. Agreed?”

Scott nods, not entirely convinced, but she looks like she needs more so he opens his mouth and says, “Yes. Agreed.”

“Okay, good. The next suggestion is to play some relaxing music. Where’s your CD player?”

Scott points to the shelf across the room and Tessa pulls a case out of her bag, popping in a CD and pressing play. A classical piece drifts out of the speakers, and Scott’s incredibly grateful it isn’t something like _Push It_ by Salt-N-Pepa.

“Now we should kiss again. I think our biggest problem last time was that we didn’t have enough foreplay. Everything I’ve read says foreplay is important.”

“Can you please stop saying foreplay?” He begs, unable to decide if it sounds sexy or too clinical falling from her lips. It's messing with his head.

“I’m just explaining it to you, Scott! Foreplay-“

Scott walks over and kisses her, mostly to stop her from saying the word again, but also because he just really, really wants to. Wants it all the time. During practice, when they're hanging out, when she's teasing him (especially then). And she told him he should, so why not?

It takes her a second to respond, but when she does it’s full of enthusiasm. They’re a little more familiar with each other now. Can anticipate better what the other likes and how to move their heads so their teeth and noses don’t clash, and after hardly any time at all Scott can feel himself _rising_ to the occasion.

Tessa seems to feel it too, because she pulls away and steps backwards. “That went well.” She’s breathless, but still clearheaded and serious, and Scott really wants to find a way to make her lose a little bit of that control she holds onto so tightly.

“Okay I think we should undress each other. It’s supposed to help with arousal and last time we didn’t look at each other and I think it made it more awkward. That is, if you’re okay with that. With me seeing… you.” Her eyes drop to below his waist and Scott gulps loudly. Is he okay with that? _Hell yes_. But also _oh my God naked Tessa_ is really all he can focus on.

“Yeah.” His voice cracks. Fucking cracks. Like he’s fifteen and right in the middle of puberty again. He wants to hide his head in shame, but Tessa just smiles at him and steps closer, reaching for the hem of his shirt and looking at him for permission before she starts to lift it off his body.

He lets her take it off and watches as she carefully puts it in his hamper, before she raises her own arms in the air – a clear invitation.

His hands shake as he starts pulling her shirt upwards. Revealing the bellybutton piercing that’s been taunting him ever since she got it done last year. The subject of so many of his fantasies. He can’t take his eyes off it.

Can’t, that is, until her shirt gets higher and he realizes she isn’t wearing a bra.

She came over for movie night at his parents house  _without a bra_.

The thought short-circuits his brain and he just holds her shirt there – halfway off her body and covering her head – while he stares. She has perfect breasts and perfect nipples and a perfect scattering of freckles right over her sternum and Scott might actually come in his pants, something he hasn’t done in years, just at the sight of her.

"Scott?” She asks self-consciously, voice muffled by the fabric of her shirt. “Everything okay?”

“Yup.” He quickly tugs the shirt rest of the way, dropping it carelessly to the floor, and he can see Tessa wants to cover herself, but she holds onto the top of her thighs to resist the urge and lets him look like she'd said they should do and he could kiss her for being so bold.

So he does.

Wraps her up in a tight embrace, moaning loudly at the feeling of her breasts pressed up against his chest, skin-on-skin. He wants to slide around and see how they feel when he does it, but she’d probably laugh at him so he holds still, kissing her for all he’s worth.

When they break apart this time her cheeks are flushed and she’s panting – hard enough to push her chest into him with each breath and doesn’t that feel fucking amazing – and her eyes are a little glossy. _Success_.

“I think this is going well so far.” She says, and Scott grins at her. It wouldn't take much to be better than last time, but yes – it is.

“What’s next on your list?”

“Well, I don’t think I was wet enough last time and it kind of hurt.” She starts to explain, but Scott gets stuck on the last word.

“I hurt you?!” Scott pulls back suddenly, dropping his arms and feeling guilty as hell. He’d known it hadn’t been exactly comfortable for her, but she hadn’t said anything about pain. “Why didn’t you say something? I would have stopped!”

“I didn’t know! I thought it was supposed to be like that. That’s why I did research!” She sounds defensive and covers herself up, voice increasing in volume.

“God, Tess. I don’t ever want to hurt you. Ever. You _know_ that. You promised me when we were back in Kitchener and I accidentally twisted your arm that you would always, always tell me if I hurt you, and you didn’t!”

“I was nervous and it was awkward and it’s not like… ugh. I’m not fighting with you about this. Besides, I’m telling you now so that we can make it better. That’s what _you_ told _me –_ that you would always want to make it better.” She argues back, sparks in her eyes and her cheeks flushed. She's never looked more beautiful. 

He refuses to be sidetracked by that thought though, because this is important. “I do want that! But you have to agree to tell me right away, not a month later.”

“Fine.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

“Good. Then how do we make you… more… wet.” His voice drops off and he whispers the last word like it’s something dirty, which, he supposes, it is.

“Well most websites suggested oral sex.” Scott wants to jump at that idea. He would not mind at all getting his mouth on the rest of her body. “But I don’t think I’m quite ready for that. So maybe if I just show you how to touch me _down there_ we could start with that instead?”

“Whatever you want, T.” He replies, trying to smother his disappointment.

"Awesome. Let’s head to the bed.” Her regular voice has returned, any progress he’d made in getting her loosen up having been spoiled by their mini argument. He wonders if they’ll ever be able to do this without fighting in some capacity. Except, they’ll never do this again. Not if they “get an A” this time. The thought fills him with regret and almost makes him want to purposely be bad at it just on the off chance that she’ll want to try again next month.

Tessa removes the comforter and pulls back the top sheet before laying down on her back, and the sight of her half-naked on his bed with the Leafs motif around her is an image that will be burned onto the back of his eyelids forever.

“Are you going to join me?” She asks, and it would sound almost pornographic if she wasn’t looking at him with wide, nervous eyes and a little smile and if she wasn’t his best friend in the whole wide world.

He climbs in next to her, propping himself up on his elbow before asking, “What do you want me to do first?”

“Um,” Tessa rushes her next sentences, like she’s giving him one of her lectures about something she’d learned on the Discovery channel. “It’s actually rare for women to achieve orgasm from just penetration, and experts say like 70 percent of women never have orgasms that way. Most of us need clitoral stimulation, which is one of the ways we went wrong last time, I think. So, um… if you want to give me your hand.”

Her voice turns up at the end, like she’s asking permission, and Scott holds his hand out silently, anxious to see what she’ll do with it. He hopes she’ll let him touch her breasts now.

Instead she takes it in his and pulls it down, down, down, unbuttoning her shorts before sliding his hand inside along with her own. Scott’s pretty sure his breathing will never return to normal, nor will his hearing – which flooded with white noise the moment his hand went under her jeans.

She maneuvers their hands until they’re underneath her underwear and then his fingers are _there_. Sliding in between her crevice where she's warm and a little wet and it's all so  _new_. 

“What now?” He whispers, wishing he could see what he’s doing.

“Like this.” She whispers back before showing him how to move his fingers down her slit, circling around her opening, before moving back up and pressing a spot that has her hips jerking upwards.

“Good?” He asks curiously, praying that she’ll say yes. He really wants to be good at this. Wants to bring her pleasure. Doesn’t want to hurt her anymore.

“Yeah.” She sighs, removing her hand and letting him continue on his own.

He explores her with his fingers, taking notes when she moans or whimpers and making sure to repeat the moves that she likes the most. He can feel her getting wetter and wetter as he continues, until her whole body seizes up and her mouth drops open in a silent cry.

"God, Tess, did I hurt you?” He asks in a panic, removing his hand as fast as he can. When she doesn’t reply for a second he feels like complete shit. “I’m so sorry, T. What did I do wrong?”

“No… no you didn’t hurt me. That was… I…” She blushes, and it dawns on him what she means. He can’t help the giddy, proud smile that spreads across his face. He’d made her come. He, Scott Moir, had brought her to orgasm. This might be a prouder moment for him than winning the Junior World Championship back in March.

He leans down and kisses her, long and hard, unable to resist and hoping she doesn’t mind that he’s going out of order with her plans – although maybe kissing wasn’t a “step one” so much as a “begin here, but we can circle back to it later” – because she’s kissing him back. Burying her hand in his hair and holding him to her in a way that makes him feel desired. Makes him feel like she’s desperate for him. It’s addicting.

She scratches his scalp and suddenly he’s on fire, thrusting into her hipbone uncontrollably.

“What’s next, T?” He asks, half-crazed and hoping she says it’s his turn now. Or, rather, that it’s _their_ turn because he’d really like to be inside her again and if he can get her to come while he is then he’ll consider tonight worthy of an A+.

"I’m definitely ready enough now, so next is penetration. I read that the simplest positions are often the best positions, but that me being on top might be better than missionary. That way I can control the pace and angle and depth. Is that okay?”

God. _Is that okay?_ “Fuck yes.”

Scott flops down on his back beside her before arching up his hips so that he can remove his shorts. He hesitates for a moment with his thumbs looped inside the top of his boxers, but ultimately decides to remove them too. She can’t exactly ride him if he’s still got them on, so he figures she must be okay with it.

He’s rock hard, has been for the past forty minutes, and Tessa just sits there staring at him.

“Can I… touch it?” She finally asks, and Scott lets out a strangled laugh.

“Please.” Then, at the risk of sounding too demanding, he adds, “I mean, yes, if you want to.”

“I want to.” She nods decidedly, gripping him tightly. Too tightly.

“Whoa, ouch. Too much.”

She pulls away quickly, muttering apologies, but he reaches out and grabs her hand. “No, hang on. Like this.” He brings her hand back and shows her how to hold him firmly, but without quite so much pressure, before sliding up and down.

“Oh.” She looks so adorable, her bottom lip jutting out in concentration as she moves her hand like he’d instructed, and the sight of her topless with her hand on his dick has him hurriedly stopping her.

“Enough of that or this will be over way too soon. Again.” He finally feels confident enough to joke a little about last time, and Tessa laughs too.

“So you’re ready then?”

“Yeah, T. Boys aren’t quite as… complicated.” He winks, then worries if he’d taken the joking too far, but she just rolls her eyes good-naturedly at him and stands up – pulling her shorts and underwear off in one swift move that has him speechless.

It’s one thing to feel something vaguely with his dick or underneath his fingers, it’s another thing entirely to see it with his own eyes, and the sight of her standing in his room completely naked is like every wet dream he’s had come to life.

“God, Tess. You’re so gorgeous.” She blushes, and he can see the color spread all the way down to her chest. “Can I _please_ touch your boobs?”

A giggle breaks free as she looks at him curiously, “What?”

“Please, let me touch them T. We can get back to your notes and schedule in a second.”

“Alright, if you want to.” She shrugs like it's an idea that hadn't occurred to her and climbs back on the bed, this time straddling his thighs while he sits up so that he can reach her better.

He starts by sliding his hands slowly up her ribcage, watching the way her nipples pucker and become stiff, before grazing his thumbs along the underside of each breast. Tessa’s eyes fall closed, and she hasn’t pushed him away, so he figures she must like what he’s doing.

Objectively, he’s seen bigger breasts (hello, he’s 18, magazines and movies exist), but he can’t say he’s seen _better_. Because these are Tessa’s breasts and that makes them the best.

Especially when he runs his thumbs over her nipples and she whimpers. He’s not sure what possesses him to take one in his mouth, only that he wants his tongue on her and it seems like a really fantastic idea.

She squeals, her hands flying to the back of his head to hold him there, and he grins against her skin. Definitely getting an A++.

He kisses and sucks and nips and pinches and basically does whatever comes into his head as Tessa whimpers and moans and grinds into his thighs – mindlessly seeking friction. It’s the hottest fucking thing he’s ever experienced in his life since fifteen minutes ago when she came on his hand and Scott’s pretty sure that this is heaven. They’ve ascended to a higher plane.

Boobs are great. Mark him down as a big fan of boobs.

Eventually though, it apparently becomes too much for Tess, because she pulls him away by the roots (he likes that, he’s surprised to find) and says _condom_ with a sense of urgency, grabbing her bag off the nightstand and pulling out one of the foil packets she’d brought with her, tearing it open and handing the little rubber circle over to him.

“Thanks.” He replies, leaning back so that he can reach down and put it on. It’s much easier the second time around, now that he kind of knows what he’s doing, and only takes a few seconds. “How do you want me?”

“Lay back.” She commands, lifting herself up to scoot forward until she’s hovering over his dick. “Ready?”

He places his hands on either side of her waist and nods and she slowly drops down, her hands resting on his chest for support. Scott’s vision whites out as he’s encircled by her heat, nearly coming the second he’s fully inside her. It takes every ounce of his willpower and thoughts of every single gross thing he can think of to get his body under control.

"Is it better this time?” He asks through gritted teeth, still aware enough to make sure she’s not hurting again.

"Oh yeah.” She draws out the words. “Way better.” She lifts her hips up experimentally before sinking back down, and Scott feels rather than hears the animalistic groan that rumbles through his chest.

“I might not last too long.” He warns her, embarrassed but feeling like it’s more important to be honest in this moment than worry about his pride. She just feels too damn good.

“That’s okay. I think I’m pretty close, actually.” She states matter-of-factly, before moving again.

She starts to set a rhythm, occasionally moving her hips in different ways to find out what feels best for her, but it _all_ feels good to Scott and he’s pretty much only concerned with focusing on not coming too soon and ruining it all again.

“Could you… maybe touch my breasts again?” She asks quietly, like it's a big favor to ask and she’s afraid he’ll say no. _Like there's a chance in hell of that happening._

"Absolutely.” He reaches up to touch her like she’d liked before, and Tessa moves her own hand between where they're joined to touch herself.

It’s all too much. How she feels, how she looks. Scott stutters out, “Tess, I can’t-“

“It’s okay, me too.”

His release rocks through him like an earthquake as he thrusts mindlessly up into her, his hands clamping down on her breasts in a way that he hopes doesn’t hurt but can’t seem to help while in the throes of his orgasm.

Thankfully, Tessa falls right after him – her back arching and her mouth dropping open in a way he's proud to realize he recognizes now – and the feeling of her clenching around him sends fireworks through his brain.

She collapses, sated, down onto his chest – her head fitting perfectly under his chin – and Scott brushes some of her hair out of his mouth before wrapping his arms around her. They can’t stay like this for long – he needs to dispose of the condom – but it feels so nice that he’s not about to tell her to move quite yet.

“Wow.” She finally says, and Scott hums in agreement. “See? I told you it could be better.” She pokes at his ribs and Scott laughs.

“You were right, T. I’ll never doubt you again.”

She lets him hold her for a little longer, but not long enough, before she stands up and grabs her clothes and a towel from off the back of his chair. She wraps it around herself claiming that she’ll be right back before scampering away down the hall towards the bathroom.

Scott takes care of the condom, tying it off before stuffing it inside an empty box of Ritz crackers that was already in his garbage can. The last thing he needs is his mom somehow finding it and asking questions. He has no idea how he’d even explain this to her. Especially since everyone and their neighbor has been telling him since pretty much forever that he’s not allowed to cross this line with Tessa _ever_.

 _Too late_. He thinks with a satisfied smile, pulling on his boxers.

Tessa walks back into the room, fully dressed after taking a fast shower, her hair pulled up into a wild bun on top of her head. He’s about to make some sort of cheesy joke or innuendo, when he notices the look on her face.

She looks a little pale and nervous, and the way she’s fiddling with the hem of her shirt can’t mean anything good. The smile slips off his face.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah!” She squeaks out, before composing herself and smiling at him. It’s her media-ready, let’s-get-down-to-business, impersonal smile though, which she's never used on him before, and does little to provide reassurance. “That was great, Scott. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome?” He replies perfunctorily, because he was raised with manners, but it feels clunky coming off his tongue.

“I’d definitely give it an A.” _Shit_. “We aced the test.” She gives him two thumbs up and it makes him cringe.

“So… we’re done now?” He asks, the question sitting in his stomach like lead.

“I think that would be best. We’ve got skating and our friendship to consider, and this was only supposed to be a one time – well, I guess two times, but you know what I mean – thing.”

“Just two friends doing each other a favor.” He repeats what he’d said before their first time, feeling nauseous and a little angry. A _fucking_ favor. Pun not intended.

“Exactly. I’m glad you agree.” She bounces forward and kisses his cheek like they’ve just wrapped up a competition and she’s going to head off to celebrate with her family.

He doesn’t agree, but she’s the one calling the shots here. And hadn’t she established during Step One what sex meant in the context of their relationship? Apparently not a fucking thing.

His hands feel empty and his skin tingles and he wants to scream at her or kiss her or just hold her, but he can do none of those things, so he just nods and says, “So I guess I’ll see you in a week then for our drive back to Canton.”

“Yeah, in a week.” She agrees, picking up her bag and slinging it over her shoulder.

“Have a nice time at the cabin.”

“Thanks, I will. Bye Scott.”

He watches her go, and it’s only after he hears the front door close that he realizes she’d left her CD – the sounds of some random symphony still floating around his bedroom. He walks over to the stereo, takes it out, and snaps it in half.

So much for getting things back to normal. 

 

 


	3. three times is a habit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we have arrived at the end of this awkward little story. Hopefully you've enjoyed it as much as I've had fun writing it.

** three times is a habit **

****

If Scott thought that things were bad after the first time, it’s so much worse now that he knows they can be _good_.

 

“Again!” Marina’s sharp, accented voice rings out through the arena, making Scott cringe. They’ve been doing run-throughs of their Assassination Tango all afternoon and as Scott takes the starting position, kneeling behind Tessa and waiting for the music to start, he thinks this might be the day he finally loses his mind.

Not the days following their Canada Day weekend tryst, when he’d been a dangerous mixture of angry, hurt, and horny that had left him irritable and caustic and made him a thorn in his mother’s side the entire visit.

Not during their drive back to Canton a week later when Tessa had filled the silence with oldies rock n’ roll and random facts about glass-blowing (where she learns this stuff, he doesn’t know, only that she’s a walking encyclopedia sometimes) that had sounded more obscene than she’d probably intended.

And not during the following month – seeing and talking to her every day. Watching her act like everything was normal and nothing had changed between them – forcing him to play along. Watching her chatting with Fedor whenever he stopped by the rink.

No. It’s today. Today might be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back.

 

They’ve rehearsed the Tango lots of times, and it’s not the dance, per se, that’s causing the problem.

It’s the dress.

Tessa had decided to wear the dress, brand new for the season, to practice today to make sure there isn’t any chance of a wardrobe malfunction during competition. It’s practical and it’s something Tessa always does with a new dress (girls' outfits are always so much more complex than boys), but the dresses have never been like this.

This one is midnight black and shimmers with every moment and has a large cutout spanning her side and around to her back with thin straps crossing over her skin and for some reason it is completely messing with his head.

Because he knows her now. Knows intimately what he’ll see if the dress were cut a little wider. The freckles, the dips, the curves. Knows how her skin would feel – so soft and delicate – if he slipped his fingers under the fabric where it ends on her ribcage and stroked underneath her breast.

He’s not supposed to bring his head in so close to her neck during the dance, but he does. Breathing in her vanilla body wash from Bath & Body Works. Remembering how it smells mixed with his own scent and coating his sheets.

He’s not supposed to actually kiss her neck during one of their spins when he should be focusing on the complicated footwork, but he does. Lips grazing her skin from the corner of her jaw back to her hairline underneath her ear.

He’s not supposed to close his fingers around her leg and actually place an open mouthed kiss on her calf when it’s up in the air – Tessa laying backwards over his thigh - while they circle around to the music, but he does. Wrapping his fingers around her thigh and sliding his hand up and up and up so that he can feel every inch of her.

It’s safe to say that he has lost control.

But Tessa? Tessa remains calm and collected. Tessa is always in control. She behaves and responds as if he’s not doing anything out of the ordinary. If anything, it seems to be getting her more into character and Marina has never complimented their “artistic expression” more than she has today.

It’s infuriating.

 

By the time Marina says they’re done and can go home Scott’s half-hard and desperate for an outlet. Any outlet.

Which is why when one of the singles skaters with long blonde hair and striking grey eyes walks up to him by the boards and smiles, he smiles back.

“Hi Scott,” She tucks her hair behind her ear and ducks her head in a way that's both calculated and bashful, “You looked really great out there today.”

“Thanks, Nina.” He’s pleased with the way his voice comes out low and a little raspy from the cold arena and the hours of exertion.

“Do you maybe want to go see a movie with me? Or we could do something else…” Her voice trails off suggestively and Scott can see Tessa stiffen out of the corner of his eye where she stands waiting for him. He nearly says no, doesn’t actually know or like Nina all that well, but he’s all riled up and pumped full of adrenaline and Tessa started this whole damn thing in the first place and if she refuses to finish it, well, then, he’ll go somewhere else.

“Sure. That sounds like fun.”

“Great! I’ll meet you in the main lobby after you've changed. Ten minutes?”

“Okay.” He returns her smile before turning around to follow Tessa towards the changing rooms – only to find that she's already retreating as she marches off. Although what she has to be upset about, Scott has no idea.

He follows and sits down on the bench next to her anyway, as is their tradition, to go over that day’s practice and trade notes while they unlace their skates.

“So I thought our curve lift was better –“

“Are you going out… to the movies… with Nina?”

Scott stops midsentence to look at Tessa, who shows no outward sign of having just asked him a question – her eyes remaining fixed on her skates.

“Why shouldn't I?”

It's a challenge, but she doesn’t answer, just continues methodically undoing the laces with grim determination.

Scott stares at the arch of her spine on display as she hunches over her knees, at the way the lights of the arena bounce off her pale skin, and swallows thickly - fighting the urge to reach out and touch her. He's been touching her all day, but off the ice he doesn't think it would be welcome. “What are you doing tonight?” He asks, suddenly extremely curious.

“Fedor invited me over.”

Scott shoots up straight in his seat, face scrunching into a mixture of disgust and hatred and jealousy. He’d thought that guy was way out of the picture by now. Hoped that he'd moved on to some floozy who didn't mind dating an asshole. He's about to tell her exactly what he thinks of her plan when she continues speaking.

"Or… I might go home and study biology.”

She lets the sentence hang in the air, and for a second he’s very confused. She’s done with school – doesn’t need to study anymore – but then it occurs to him what she might be, _must be_ , hinting at.

“Biology.” He repeats dumbly, staring unblinkingly at the side of her head where it’s still hanging down by her feet as she finishes the last few rows of laces.

“Yeah. Do you want to help me? Study, that is.” She pulls her skates off and finally looks up at him and this is a no good, terrible, absolutely horrible, very bad idea.

"Yes.”

She smiles at him then, and he can see the vulnerability there. Tessa Virtue, the girl who hates being vulnerable more than any other thing in the world, is showing her vulnerability to _him_ , and it touches something deep inside - the part of him that always succumbs to Tessa – softening his anger from earlier.

“So… do you want to head over to my place?” Tessa asks.

“Now?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

They don’t bother changing their clothes, just swap their skates for sneakers and head out the back doors of the arena to Scott’s car with their gym bags in tow. The blonde in the lobby long forgotten.

          

The drive is quiet and the silence is loaded with Scott's unsaid words and questions like _why now? What does this mean? Is this another one-time thing? Is this because you want me or the sex? Oh God, please let it be because you want me._

"Would you rather have a beak for a nose or webbed hands and feet like a duck?” Tessa asks out of the blue, and the game they play on long car rides takes him so much by surprise that he bursts out laughing.

“Uh… webbed hands and feet. At least then I could swim really well.”

“Smart.” She nods in approval, and he’s still chuckling when she looks over at him expectantly. “Do me.”

"I will.” He shoots back without thinking, and the air in the car grows heavy again with innuendo and expectations. He rushes to fix it and get back to the game. “Would you rather be chased by a horse-sized squirrel, or a hundred squirrel-sized horses?”

“A hundred horses. Definitely.” She states confidently. “In fact, I’d round them up and keep them as pets.”

“All one hundred?” Scott asks with a chuckle.

“I’d give some to you too, of course.” She states like it should be obvious, and he supposes it should. They share everything with each other. Everything, of course, except how they really feel.

“i appreciate that. Thank you.”

           

They continue playing the game until they reach Tessa’s apartment where her older roommate, Becky, is just coming down the steps.

“Hey Tess, hey Scott. Good skate today?”

They both nod, hoping they don’t look as guilty as they feel. Scott wonders if it's written on his face, what they're about to do, when Becky gives him a look that says he's being weird. It's not that different from how she usually looks at him though, and after a moment the girl just shakes her head and turns back to her roommate.

“Cool. Love the dress, Tess. Very sexy. I’m heading over to Brian’s so don’t wait up!”

They both wave awkwardly goodbye and Scott only breathes again when her car rounds the corner. He and Tess hang out all the time and Becky knows it, so hopefully she doesn’t suspect anything.

“Do you want something to drink?” Tessa calls over her shoulder as they step inside the small two bedroom apartment. It’s really hardly bigger than a shoebox, but Tessa and Becky have managed to make it feel like a home.

“Water?” Scott asks, suddenly parched. Once, just once in his life, he hopes he has a sexual encounter without feeling nervous and ready to jump out of his skin.

He follows her into the tiny kitchen that neither girl really uses, and accepts the glass when she hands it to him – their fingers brushing in the process and sending shocks up his arm.

“So…” He starts awkwardly. He’s used to her taking command at this point and has no idea where to go from here. Shouldn’t she be pulling out some sort of lecture or scientific thesis or a PowerPoint on how to have successful sex for the third time?

“I don’t have any notes this time.” Tessa says, as if reading his mind. “Sorry. I can go Google some stuff right now if you want.”

“No.” He takes her empty glass out of her hand and puts both cups in the sink. “I think we can manage without the user’s guide.”

“Okay. What should we do first then?” She looks up at him with wide, searching eyes and Scott realizes that this time she’s letting him take the lead. Putting him in charge.

The realization goes straight to his head and groin in equal parts.

“Can I kiss you?” He asks, stepping in closer, suddenly reminded of the movie Casper and hoping he doesn't sound as childish and eager as the friendly ghost did. 

“Yes.” Tessa whispers, and the way she looks at him makes him feel the complete opposite of childish. 

He places his hands on the counter on either side of her body – effectively caging her in – before leaning in slowly. Her eyes close and she tilts her chin up for the kiss that never comes. He’s wanted his mouth on her body for so long, he’s not about to waste this opportunity now. She's given him control, and he means to use it.

He starts under her ear, smiling at her surprised squeak, before running his lips softly up and down the column of her throat, then nipping at her collarbone – working little red marks into her skin where he has to bury his face during the Tango. He wants to see them tomorrow, and he wants  _Tessa_ to see them. To remember. 

Tessa’s hands shoot out to hold onto his forearms for support when he bites down on the muscle between her neck and shoulder and she lets out a low moan. She tastes like vanilla and sweat and something cold that lingers from the rink and his brain identifies it all as _Tessa_. It's his favorite smell in the world.

He peppers kisses back up her neck and across her jaw and cheek until finally, finally he reaches her mouth.

The second his lips are on hers Tessa has her hand in his hair holding him tightly to her and surprising him by sticking her tongue inside his mouth. She’s a little too forceful at first, but Scott shows her what he’s learned from other make-out sessions about teasing little strokes and the give and take that’s so important.

She learns quickly, like she does everything else, and soon Scott’s the one who’s moaning.

“Do you want to go to my room?” Tess asks, cheeks flushed pink and chest heaving.

“Yeah.” Scott agrees, but he doesn’t want to give up control just yet so he grabs her hand and takes the lead – pulling her towards her room with a purpose.

Her bedroom is so much more mature than his, with the grey walls and carefully strung up fairy lights and simple grey bedding with pink accent pillows. It’s much better, objectively, but Scott still doesn’t think it’s as sexy a setting as her on his Leafs sheets. Nothing will ever compare to that.

As soon as they've crossed the threshold their mouths are on each other again, frantic and eager and wanting, and it continues until Tessa pulls away and spins around. 

"My dress fastens at the neck. Can you undo it?" 

Hesitation sweeps over him, stilling the movement of his hands towards her collar. It's not that he doesn't want to keep progressing, but the sight of the back of the dress serves as a vivid reminder of just how much he loves it. Just how much it drives him crazy.  

He runs his fingers lightly along her spine and then out away from it as though she has wings. Tracing each rib, each freckle and mole. Following along the lines of the straps. Indulging in his every whim. 

"What are you doing?" Tessa asks, voice high-pitched and needy. 

Scott doesn't answer, instead choosing to lean in close over her shoulder. “Take your tights off.” He whispers in her ear before kissing her cheek and Tessa gulps audibly.

“Alright.”

She bends over right in front of him, and he hasn’t had much of a chance to appreciate her ass until now so he steps back and keeps his eyes trained on her legs and backside while she carefully rolls down the black spandex underwear that matches her dress and tan tights that keep her legs warm and privacy protected. 

The brief glimpse of her is enough to have him lightheaded. 

“Now what?” Tessa turns around to face him, and the control she’s giving him is a potent cocktail - creating a heady sensation that makes it hard for him to think.

“Um… lay down on the bed.”

She follows the command, watching him closely as she moves, and suddenly there's a tie in his brain between this image of her and the one on his Leafs sheets. Scott pulls off his t-shirt before kneeling on the bed beside her, picking up her closest leg in a move mimicking their dance lift – running his hands up and down and enjoying the way they feel – soft and smooth- without the tights in his way. He kisses behind her knee before looping it around his body so that he’s kneeling between her legs.

“Shouldn’t I take my dress off first?” She asks, propping herself up on her elbows.

“Not yet. I like how you look like this.”

She blushes and shrugs in an attempt to be casual, even though he can tell she doesn't quite get it, before laying back down and resting her hands across her stomach, waiting for his next move.

“Can I… you know… this time?” He gestures between her legs where her short dress is only barely preserving her modesty.

“You _want_ to?” Her eyes practically bugging out of her head in surprise. “I thought boys didn’t like that.”

“I’ve never tried, but I’m pretty sure I will. So, yes, I really want to.” Given that it’s one of his most recurring fantasies - mostly involving pushing her up against the side of the ice rink and dropping to his knees - yeah he has no doubts about wanting to go down on her.

“Then, yes… I guess. If you’re sure.”

“I am. Thank you.” He says with a bright, playful grin before dropping to his stomach. “Budge up a little.” He commands and Tessa scoots up higher on the bed.

He pushes her dress up her thighs, over her hips, and around her waist (with Tessa’s help), revealing her inch by inch.

Last time he had felt and seen glimpses of her, but this time he intends to explore. He wants to know every way there is to make Tessa Virtue feel good. Wants to be her first in everything, even if he doesn’t get to be her only.

“Tell me if I do something you don’t like, okay?” He waits until she agrees before using his hand to spread her open, taking a moment to get acquainted before leaning forward and licking a long, experimental stripe up her center.

Tessa’s hips shoot off the bed, nearly hitting him in the face, and he quickly throws an arm over her to hold her down. “Did that feel okay?”

“Better than okay. _Please_ keep going.” She begs, and Scott settles in.

 

Her hands grip his hair like her life depends on it and he seems to have found the perfect combination of his fingers and his tongue based on the way Tessa’s panting increases and speeds up with each breath and the noises he’s coaxing from her deep inside her throat. They're the most beautiful sounds he's ever heard. 

Her extensive vocabulary seems to have been reduced to alternations between his name and expletives that he’s never heard her say in his life, and it has him thrusting his hips into the mattress in time with the thrusting of his fingers.

Suddenly she cries out, her body arching upwards, and Scott tilts his head up to watch her - pleased for half a second that he’s made her come - before her legs shoot up to clamp around his head and one of her knees hits him directly in the eye.

“Ow! Tess!”

“Oh my God, Scott! I’m so sorry!” She tries to sit up, arms and legs still weak and wobbly from her orgasm and not supporting her properly.

“It’s fine.” Well, it’s not fine, he can feel his eye throbbing and knows it’s going to blacken, but she doesn’t need him to add to her guilt. After-all, he kind of made this happen. 

“Let me go get you some ice.” She swings her legs over him without warning so that she can stand up and in doing so catches him off guard and ends up kicking him in the ribs – instantly knocking the air out of his lungs.

He grabs his side with a wheeze and falls to the mattress and Tessa starts yelling again as she stands by the side of the bed. “Oh God! I’m a walking hazard! Are you okay? I swear I’m not trying to kill you. Are you dead? Oh my God I am the worst partner in the whole world!”

She buries her face in her hands, looking embarrassed and devastated, but Scott (whose ability to breath has only just returned) just starts laughing.

He sits up, holding his side with one hand, and tugs Tessa to him by the hem of her dress. “T, look at me.”

She shakes her head, keeping both hands planted over her eyes.

“Tessa.” He says more firmly, reaching up to pry her hands away, which she only lets him do after fighting it for a few seconds (she's surprisingly strong). “You didn’t kill me. I’ll be fine. You are the _best_ partner in the world. And honestly, I’m kind of proud. How many guys can say they went down on their girl and it was so good she gave him a black eye?” He grins cheekily at her, fingers still playing with the hem of her dress.

“I’m so sorry.”  

Scott tugs harder on her dress, hinting that he wants her to sit on his lap, which she seems to understand, and not for the first time he's incredibly grateful that they've nearly perfected nonverbal communication over the years. Once she’s settled in he kisses her, reaching around with his hands to scratch her back lightly, and she mewls like a kitten – arching into his touch. “It’s fine, kiddo, really. You ready to get this dress off now?”

“You still want to have sex with me? You might lose a limb.” She still sounds dejected, like she's disappointed in herself, and he chuckles while reaching up to caress her cheek.

"I’m willing to take that risk.” He kisses her again. “Although maybe I should have a triage kit ready, just in case.”

Tessa smacks his shoulder before moving off his lap and reaching for the hem of her dress, pulling it off her body in one swift move. The dress has a built-in bra, which means she’s left completely naked, and Scott’s struck dumb by it.

He’ll probably always be speechless at the sight of her like this (assuming it happens again, he has no idea where they stand at this point). At her willingly baring herself in front of him.

His hands seem to find her breasts of their own accord, cupping them and running his thumbs over her nipples – and Tessa lets her head drop backwards while he touches her. So  _responsive_. The silence is nice now, instead of awkward, just the two of them enjoying the moment until Scott’s boner recovers from the earlier physical assault.

When he’s finally back at full-staff, which doesn't take long, he bends forward and places a gentle, open-mouthed kiss just to the side of one of her nipples. “Ready, Tess?”

“ _Yes_.”

“Do you want to be on top again?” She looks down at him, contemplating her answer, before replying.

“I think so. If that’s okay?”

“Whatever makes you most comfortable.” He agrees, scooting backwards on the bed until he reaches the headboard, then maneuvering his pants and boxers off – throwing them towards the floor. Tessa follows after him, handing him a condom from her drawer, and waits until he’s ready before straddling his waist.

“Wait, you’ve got to give me room to lie down.”

“Don’t. I like it like this. It feels more…” She pauses and Scott waits with baited breath. “Intimate.”

The word rolls off her tongue and into his heart. _Intimate_. Intimate is good. Intimate isn’t a casual fuck. He’ll take intimate.

And she’s right. With him sitting up like this they can wrap their arms around each other – hands free to roam as they please, mouths close enough to kiss each other (or other reachable parts of their bodies) - as Tessa moves up and down at a leisurely pace. It feels close and warm and wonderful.

He can’t do much in this position by way of thrusting up into her, but he doesn’t care. He’s completely content to let her have the control now. To be wrapped up in Tessa – her taste, her smell, her body, her heart. It’s enough for him.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity and not nearly long enough, Tessa reaches between them to touch herself and her body seizes up in a wordless cry. Scott lets himself follow after her (grateful that his stamina seems to be improving) with a long shudder - his face burrowing into her neck.

Instead of moving away, she lets her head drop into the crook of his neck in the mirror image of him. Like they’ve become one person. Wrapped so closely together he can't tell where he ends and she begins.

Scott never wants to move again.

 

He has to, of course, because sex is messy and there’s clean up involved, but this time instead of Tessa putting her clothes back on and spouting bullshit about how this meant nothing and she’s got stuff to go do (although this is her house, so he’s not exactly sure where she’d go), she pulls out fresh underwear and a t-shirt from her dresser and tugs on his hand, leading him back to the bed.

The second he’s lying back down she drapes herself over him – almost possessively – and Scott slips his hand up under her shirt to draw soothing circles onto her back.

"Would you rather pretend this never happened or…” Her breath catches and Scott waits anxiously for what she’ll say next, his entire body tensing with the weight of that single word. _Or_. “Or keep doing this?”

“Keep doing this.” Scott says without hesitation, and the smile Tessa gives him is worth all the gold medals they could ever win. She props herself up to kiss him and as her lips press against his Scott thinks, _this was always going to happen at some point_.

Once is an accident.

Twice is a coincidence.

But three times? Three times is a habit. One that he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to break.

 


End file.
